Elliott Smith

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Steven Paul Smith (August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003), better known as Elliott Smith, was an American singer-songwriter and musician. His primary instrument was the guitar, but he was also proficient at piano, clarinet, bass, harmonica and drums. Smith had a distinctive vocal style characterized by his "whispery, spiderweb-thin delivery" and use of multi-tracking to create vocal harmonies. Although born in the Midwest and primarily raised in Texas, Smith spent the majority of his life in Portland, Oregon.

After playing in the rock band Heatmiser for several years, Smith began his career as a solo artist in 1994 with releases on the independent record labels Cavity Search and Kill Rock Stars. He eventually signed a major label contract with Records